CORRUPTION. Bit by bit. In addition to the above, two Moscow police officers were charged with kidnapping a businessman for ransom. The director of Tula Oblast’s Department of Land and Property Relations was arrested on suspicion of demanding a bribe for giving planning permission for a business.

DIVISION OF LABOUR. Reading the Q&A sessions of Medvedev and Putin, I see that Putin is deep in the minutiae (suburban train schedules, health centres, sports infrastructure) while Medvedev is at high altitude (foreign affairs, long-term projects like “modernisation”; reflections on Russia’s culture of belief in “the good tsar and physical force”). About the only points they both touched on was the economy’s relatively good year (at least as compared with what many feared) and the value of the present system of appointing regional leaders. (Their argument is that leaders appointed this way will be better – and less corrupt. Recent events are unlikely to change their minds). I have the impression, by the way, that Putin is much happier in the details. He has remarked that he is “fed up with foreign policy”.

BUREAUCRACY. Medvedev has ordered the reduction of federal officials by 20% by 2013. Many have tried but few have succeeded: bureaucracies are very tenacious animals.

INTERNET. Readers will know that I keep an eye on Russian Internet use (probably because I personally have little use for the Old Media). At last someone else has noticed how big and healthy it is in Russia. By the way, Russians can read translated selections from the Western media here (including uncomplimentarystuff).